PurposeThe purpose of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is to prohibit programs that receive federal funds from discriminating against participants on the basis of race, color or national origin.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as codified in 42 U.S.C. 2000d, states: No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

The intent of the law is to ensure that all persons, regardless of their race, color or national origin, are allowed to participate in these federally funded programs. To ensure that the department meets its compliance responsibility, procedures have been established to provide for monitoring of Title VI compliance, activities and complaint processing in programs, directly or indirectly responsible to the department (i.e., the departmentâ€™s own programs, contracted services, and departmentally-funded community service organizations, all of which receive federal/state funding in whole or in part).

At the July 20, 2011 Board of Commission meeting the Title VI Non-Discrimination Policy (600-71) was approve. The purpose of this policy is to articulate Fulton Countyâ€™s commitment to fully comply with all Non-Discrimination provisions pursuant to Title VI of the Civil rights Act of 1964.

Limited English Proficiency (LEP)Fulton Countyâ€™s policies, practices or procedures exclude, limit, or have the effect of excluding or limiting, the participation of any LEP person in a federally assisted program on the basis of national origin may be engaged in discrimination in violation of Title VI. In order to ensure compliance with Title VI, we take steps to ensure that LEP persons who are eligible for our programs or services have meaningful access to our rendered programs and service benefits that we provide. The most important step in meeting this obligation is for recipients of Federal financial assistance such as grants, contracts, and subcontracts to provide the language assistance necessary to ensure such access, at no cost to the LEP person.

The type of language assistance that Fulton County and any covered entity provides to ensure meaningful access will depend on a variety of factors, including the size of the county/covered entity, the size of the eligible LEP population it serves, the nature of the program or service, the objectives of the program, the total resources available to the county/covered entity, the frequency with which particular languages are encountered, and the frequency with which LEP persons come into contact with the program.

Fulton County also takes reasonable steps to ensure that a Limited English Proficiency (LEP) person is given adequate information, is able to understand the services and benefits available, and is able to receive those for which he or she is eligible. The covered entity must also ensure that the LEP person can effectively communicate the relevant circumstances of his or her situation to the service provider.

What Constitutes Discrimination?Be aware that discrimination takes many forms: â€¢ Differences in services from the general or traditional population.â€¢ Differences in program benefits from the general or traditional population.â€¢ Differences in treatment in obtaining services than the general or traditional population.â€¢ Intentional lack of information/communicationâ€¢ Barriers or delays in participation which differ from the general or traditional population.â€¢ Lack of accommodations.

What Is Covered by Title VI?Veterans Administration educational benefits, employee or student recruitment, social services, the distribution of benefits and services, construction, transportation, Contracting, Community Development Block Grants, Parks and Recreation, tax benefits enjoyed by private agencies, fraternal and non-profit organizations (501.c3), education institutions, hiring, housing, the location of facilities, welfare services, program effects on people in applicable communities, and law enforcement and environmental issues.

What Is Federal Financial Assistance?Federal financial assistance means more than just money. It is also aid that enhances the ability to improve or expand allocation of a recipientâ€™s own resources. Some examples include:â€¢ Student Aid (releases recipientâ€™s funds for other uses)â€¢ Training of employees (permits better use of the employee)â€¢ Grants, loans and tax-exempt bondsâ€¢ Bondsâ€¢ Propertyâ€¢ Loan of Personnelâ€¢ Tax incentives and tax exempt statusâ€¢ Technical assistance, etc.If an agency receives any federal financial assistance for any program or activity, the entire agency is required to comply with Title VI, not just that particular program.

How Does Title VI Apply To Public Policy?Title VI is the mechanism that ensures that federal financial assistance, which drives or promotes economic development, infrastructure improvements, service delivery, and minority participation in decision-making is done without discrimination. The intent is to ensure that all persons have fair participation and representation in the planning and execution of public policy.